New Delhi, Oct 18: Brushing aside the clean chit of the Delhi Police, a Delhi Court has made Samajwadi Party MP Rewati Raman Singh an accused in the 2008 cash-for-vote case saying there was sufficient material to show that he was part of the alleged criminal conspiracy.
The court said records suggest that Rewati Raman Singh “insisted on a face-to-face meeting” between the three accused BJP leaders and then Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh to settle the deal.
“It has emerged on record that the meeting held among Rewati Raman Singh and the three BJP MPs (Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora) was at the behest of Rewati Raman Singh.
“...(he) promised them that their interests would be taken care of and insisted on their having a face-to-face meeting with Amar Singh, who would settle the amount payable to them,” Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said.
The judge observed that Rewati Raman Singh was “part and parcel” and “an important link in the chain of events” of the alleged criminal conspiracy.
“It prima facie appears that accused was part and parcel and an important link in the chain of events of the alleged criminal conspiracy and it is settled law that as far as offence under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, it is not necessarily to be proved that perpetrators expressly agree to do or cause to be done the illegal act,” the court said.
The judge issued summons for November 3 to Rewati Raman Singh, regarding whom the Delhi police had on October 14 told the court that there was no evidence till then to show his involvement in the scam.
The court took cognisance of the offence of only criminal conspiracy against Singh while all the other accused in the case, including Amar Singh, have also been charged under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“In my considered view there is sufficient material on record to form an opinion that Rewati Raman Singh was part of the alleged criminal conspiracy. I take cognisance of the offence under section 120-B (conspiracy) of IPC against Rewati Raman Singh,” the judge said.
The court action came after taking into account the records and the statements made by three co-accused former BJP MPs—Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahabir Singh Bhagora and sitting MP Ashok Argal.
“The material placed on record and the signed statement of 3 MPs are sufficient to show Rewati Raman Singh was the person who led the three MPs and arranged a meeting with Amar Singh promising that there interest would be taken care of,” the judge said.
Earlier, police had told the court that on the basis of evidence available on record, it cannot be said that the SP leader was part of the alleged conspiracy to bribe MPs to secure their support during July 2008 trust vote sought by the UPA-I government and so he has not named in the charge sheet.
